1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to communications. More particularly, the invention relates to communication networks.
2. Description of the Background Art
Traditional communication networking technologies were designed for a world of moderate traffic growth with relatively stable and predictable traffic patterns. Such systems were simply not designed to handle the explosive growth in bandwidth demand coupled with the dynamic nature of traffic patterns created by emerging broadband, Internet, and wireless applications. As communication service providers discovered, efforts to scale networks through brute force application of legacy technologies have resulted in escalating capital and operating costs that outpace revenue growth.
Such a dramatic shift in the environment requires a fundamental shift in network architectures in order to realize the full potential of modem applications. Service providers are now demanding more network elements with unconstrained scalability, agility, and efficiency essential for sustained success in an increasingly challenging environment.
However, because network elements automatically re-route connections on both service and line levels within the network, the actual physical routes being utilized by the logical connections becomes less apparent from the point-of-view of the network operators. This obscuring of the physical routes makes it more difficult to provide functionalities, such as those related to service level management and fault management.